Trevor Jackson is booked, busy, and boldly expanding his career. The “Grown-ish” star and Indianapolis native made his debut on “Grey’s Anatomy,” fulfilling a quiet dream of playing a doctor on TV. But that’s not the only thing keeping him in motion. Jackson also partnered with Eli Lilly, which is headquartered in his hometown, for a national eczema awareness campaign tied to the treatment medication EBGLYSS. Not only did he lend his voice to the campaign, but he also brought his own family’s experiences with eczema to the forefront.

Whether he’s speaking out about health, getting vulnerable in his music, or diving into medical drama scripts, Jackson is showing up with purpose. In a chat with REVOLT, he opened up about self-love, why representation in skincare matters, his music, and the jaw-dropping DM he got from Ghostface Killah.

Why was it important for you to be part of this eczema campaign with Eli Lilly?

It was super important for me just because a few people that are close to me suffer from moderate to severe eczema. And I'm aware of the things that they maybe have had to overcome and maybe some things they were unaware of. I feel like Eli Lilly being from Indiana, we're connected there. But also, what their mission is with this is just to unify and to encourage people to seek treatment and let everybody know that it doesn't matter what your skin tone is. It doesn't matter what you're going through. If you have moderate to severe eczema, there's options for you and I wanted to be a part of that. I think everything that I do in my career and my life is about that. It's about encouraging people. It's about being there for one another and unifying the world and uplifting each other. I always wanna align myself with things and companies and brands that are doing things like that.

Your dad and cousin deal with eczema, so did the campaign feel extra personal for you?

Exactly. You know, I've been in situations where maybe my dad doesn't wanna wear short sleeves or he might not shave his face because he doesn't want people to see the skin underneath. I've just seen the effect that it’s had. And, yeah, it's been empowering for me.

What do you want more Black folks, especially young people, to understand about taking care of their skin and advocating for themselves?

I think it's super important. I don't think it's a weakness. I think a lot of times people would try to push that on you. [People say,] “Oh, you're trying to figure out what's wrong,” or, “It's just itchy skin or dry skin.” I just think it's good to know yourself mentally and physically, and love on yourself. You know, this body that we're in, it takes care of us, so we should take care of it every chance that we get. But you can't do that without knowledge. You can't do that without options. So, Lilly and EBGLYSS, these are great options, and I want everybody out there to talk to the doctor and figure out what options [are] best for them.

Why do you think it’s so important for brands to address how eczema looks on darker skin tones?

I think a lot of people, like I said, could maybe brush it off, thinking, “Hey, maybe I just have a little dry skin,” because they've never seen or ever known that there was an option. It hasn't been shown to them. So, I think definitely having a wider scope and everyone being seen is super important. Like, education awareness of what it looks like on darker skin.

You’ve been in the game a long time — what does taking care of yourself look like these days?

These days, taking care of myself is working out. I love to work out. It's helping out my mind and my body, and I feel accomplished. You know? I feel like I'm [the] type of person that always has to be doing something. And if I don't, I feel useless. But every time I go to the gym, I feel like, “Okay, yes you're in the right direction. You did something good today. You're one step above where you were yesterday.” Surfing is another one. I'm cooking a little more, just healthier options, and it feels good.

What’s your personal definition of self-love?

Oh, man. I think doing what you say you're going to do for you is just as important as all the things you say you're gonna do for everyone else. If you say, “Hey, I wanna have a massage this week,” make sure you have a massage and don't move it. That, to me, is showing your mind and your body that you're just as important as everybody else that you try to please. Show up for yourself.

What are your non-negotiables when it comes to staying grounded?

Family. Gotta have my family involved, and I think that's kinda part of why I also love partnering with Lilly. They're just from my hometown. You know? I grew up seeing a lot of my mom's friends work there, my dad's friends, or I drive by on the street and see it. But, yeah, just having those core values, those good morals. And, again, I wanna work with people that wanna help people.

Congrats on your role on “Grey’s Anatomy.” How did it feel stepping into such an iconic show?

Thank you. It feels incredible. I, for some reason, feel like in the back of my head, I've always kinda wanted to play a doctor, and on such a legendary show. So many incredible actors and actresses have come through that show. And it was just an honor. After shooting “Grown-ish” and being on there for a long time, I was like, “I wanna get back into it. I wanna get back on screen, but I don't know where.” I didn’t wanna do the exact same thing I did before. So, this is a great segue. Doing this character will definitely be challenging. There'll definitely be days. But I feel like that's what I want in life. I want things that push me, that make me work hard, that make me strive for the best. So, I'm looking forward to the road ahead.

What was the most exciting or surprising part of filming on "Grey’s Anatomy”?

I think the exciting and surprising, and scary part is the verbiage, the words that I have to use that I'm gonna have to be saying in the show. Gonna definitely have to do some practicing on that. But that's also exciting, too. I love learning new things anyway.

What should fans be expecting from you musically?

Hey, man. The realest music that I've ever made. Yeah, it's definitely different, a different way people have seen me. I'm just being a lot more honest, a lot more vulnerable, and just a little more out there with it. The “Find Out” music video dropped, so I'm really excited about that. Next is album mode. We're about to shift gears, and it's about to be a whole new world.

Are you still drawing inspiration from your hometown, Indianapolis?

Yeah. Always. I'm always drawing inspiration from my family. You know? They're the reason why I do what I do. Honestly, a huge part of my motivation and what gets me up in the morning are my uncles, my cousins, my nephews, my grandparents. So yeah, I'm always pulling inspiration. And every time I go home, I either hear a story or somebody tells me something, so I’m like, “Oh, I gotta write that.” So, definitely always drawing inspiration from home.

Any dream collabs on your radar?

I would like to collab with Chris [Brown]. I would like to collab with [Lil] Wayne. Ah man, there’s so many. I’d like to collab with [BigXthaPlug]. There's so many people. As soon as I get off of this call, I'm gonna be like, “Oh, I could've said this person.” I always forget.

You’ve got one hour to create a mixtape from scratch. What’s the first song you’re sampling?

One hour to create a mixtape from scratch? The first song I'm sampling is “With Arms Wide Open.”

If you could time travel to give your teenage self some advice before fame, what would you say in five words or less?

Five words or less? Whoa. If I could only say five words, then I would say, “Continue on, be strong, champ.” (Laughs) But if I could just say anything, it would be “Everybody's not gonna be like you in terms of the way that you treat people and the way that you see people. Everybody doesn't see it the same way.” I used to get really, really hurt when I felt like people didn't love the way that I loved or looked out for me the way I felt like I looked out for them. I used to take things super personally.

What’s the most surprising DM you’ve ever gotten?

The most surprising? You know what? Ghostface from Wu-Tang. That was probably the craziest. I was like, “Wait. The real Ghostface?”... I was tripping out. He DM'd me and was like, “Yo, Salam king. Love your stuff. Blah blah.” I was like, “Wait. Is this the real Ghostface telling me he likes my music? What?” Yeah. That was pretty surprising.